THE MONTHLY GLEANER | APRIL 6 - MAY 3, 2023 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS 6 THE GOVERNMENT of Belize has expressed concerns that there is an ongoing human smuggling ring involving Jamaicans, with more than 50 per cent of Jamaicans who travelled to the CARICOM country over the last 14 months being unaccounted for. Of the 1,673 Jamaicans who travelled to Belize via routes outside of the United States (US) during the period, only 778 were on record of leaving the country. Over a similar period between November 2020 and December 2021, only 618 Jamaicans of the 1,261 were on record of leaving the country, according to Belize immigration data obtained by The Gleaner. “Without a doubt, there is a humansmuggling ring, as the Immigration Department has beenmonitoring these migratory patterns from May 2022, following the full border reopening, after the COVID-19 pandemic,”Director of Immigration Debra Baptist-Estrada told The Gleaner on Monday. “ … They risk their lives through these treacherous jungles and routes with very young children and even some pregnant women,”she continued. Baptist-Estrada said there were 149 minors – 86 males and 63 females – among the 1,673 Jamaicans, but noted that it wasn’t immediately clear how many of the children were unaccounted for. She said that Jamaicans usually travel to Panama or El Salvador and from there, make their way to Belize. Several Jamaicans also arrived on the Marcella Discovery 2 cruise ship, after booking trips from Jamaica to Guatemala, Belize andMexico and then back to Jamaica. In a March 30 Cabinet brief seen by The Gleaner, the Belize government announced that after “a thorough” discussion, it would invoke Article 226(a) of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. This would allow its minister of immigration to immediately impose a visa requirement for Haitians wishing to visit Belize and to require that Jamaicans provide evidence of fully paid non-refundable hotel reservations prior to boarding flights to Belize. It said that the decision was made because of the increasing number of visitors using Belize as a transit country to reach the United States. The brief said that in addition, a ministerial task force was set up to address the rampant smuggling occurring in this regard and that the ministerial subcommittee will be chaired by the minister of foreign affairs, foreign trade and immigration and will include the minister of home affairs & new growth industries and the minister of tourism & diaspora relations. However, the John Briceño administration has seemingly made an about-turn, denying that it imposed stricter travel rules for Jamaicans. “The Government of Belize is monitoring the flows of all travellers in and out of Belize and is in contact with the Jamaican Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this regard. Belize has not imposed a requirement that Jamaicans provide proof of a non-refundable hotel reservation as a condition for travel to Belize,” Dr Gilroy Middleton, CEO of Belize Immigration, told The Gleaner. Responding to a Gleaner query on Monday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Senator Kamina Johnson Smith said that she spoke with Eamon Courtenay, minister of foreign affairs and immigration of Belize, on the matter. She said during that discussion, Courtenay clarified that media reports regarding the immediate imposition of restrictions on Jamaican travellers to Belize were inaccurate. She said that they will remain in contact and continue to consult on the matter. At the same time, Johnson Smith said that the statistical information on the movement to Belize is being received and analysed, noting that it is not yet possible to draw conclusions on whether there is an ongoing humansmuggling ring. CARICOM Secretariat spokesman Leonard Robertson indicated on Monday that Belize did not consult with the regional bloc on the issue. “CARICOM has no position on the matter,” he told The Gleaner. NEW YORK: S E V E RA L J AMA I CA - BORN Republicans have condemned the indictment of former United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday, describing the charges brought against him as political victimisation. In unsealing a historic 34-count felony indictment, NewYork prosecutors said on Tuesday that Trump conspired to illegally influence the 2016 election through a series of hush money payments designed to silence claims that he feared would be harmful to his candidacy. The charges arose from a series of cheques that Trump or his company allegedly wrote during the presidential campaign to his lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, for his role in reportedly making a payment to a porn actor, who alleged an extramarital sexual encounter with Trump years earlier. The arraignment in Manhattan, though largely procedural in nature, was nonetheless the first time in US history that a sitting or former president has faced a judge in his own criminal prosecution. “I don’t think it will work. This is not the first attempt and like all the others, these charges will not stand. He will win in court,”Jamaican Donavan Sybliss told The Gleaner on Tuesday, reacting to the charges. According to Sybliss, the charges are politically motivated. He vowed to continue supporting the former president, who was impeached twice by the US House but was never convicted in the US Senate. “I voted for him in the elections and I will be voting for him again,” Sybliss said. “Even if he is found guilty by a New York jury, the verdict will be overturned on appeal.” Desmond Brown, who is now retired and was born in Jamaica, also believes that the charges are without merit. “These charges were investigated by the previous Manhattan district attorney and no charges were brought. They were investigated by the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and dismissed. Why are they being brought at this time if it is not political?”he pondered. Brown, who previously ran in local government elections in Clarendon on a Jamaica Labour Party ticket some years ago, pointed out that when the current Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, campaigned for office, he did so on a platform of getting Trump. “This is all a political vendetta,” he said, adding that if the district attorney had a strong case, he would not have brought 34 charges. Bragg has pushed back at suggestions that the charges are politically motivated. The investigation also concerns six-figure payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both say they had sexual encounters with the married Trump years before he got into politics. Trump denies having sexual liaisons with both women and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments. All 34 counts are linked to a series of cheques that were written to Cohen presumably to reimburse him for his role in paying off Daniels. Those payments, made over 12 months, were recorded in various internal company documents as being for a legal retainer that prosecutors say didn’t exist. Nine of those monthly cheques were paid out of Trump’s personal accounts, but records related to them were maintained in the Trump Organization’s data system. “It’s not just about one payment. It is 34 false statements and business records that were concealing criminal conduct,” District Attorney Bragg told reporters, when asked how the alleged payments were connected. Carla Spalding, a Republican candidate in the 2022 elections in Florida, has also decried the charges. “Our republic is at risk and we cannot afford to lose our democracy. The laws are being weaponised against political opponents and we cannot be sheep,” she told The Gleaner. The Holy Childhood past student charged that it is part of a scheme by Trump’s opponents who are trying to weaken his bid for the 2024 presidential election. “He is the only one who can save America and the world. We need a leader who will not be a laughing stock on the world stage,” she said. Spalding theorised that Trump’s indictment will increase his grassroots support, putting him in an advantageous position to win the Republican nomination. Scherie Murray, a former Republican candidate who heads a non-profit organisation, said that she is hurt by the situation. ‘DEPRESSING DAY’ “It is a sad day to see him indicted. It is a depressing day where Americans are concerned, and I am concerned how our country is being seen around the world,” said Murray, who is a Republican committeewoman for the 29th State District in Queens. “I believe that it is all political persecution. It is all based on getting Trump. It is a blatant disrespect for the rule of law,” she told The Gleaner, further accusing the district attorney of using the case to try and make a name for himself. The next court date is December 4, although it is not clear if Trump will be required to appear. – Additional reporting by The Associated Press. editorial@gleanerjm.com BORDER BUSTING J’can Republicans stand by ex-president, adamant charges are trumped-up BELIZE SUSPECTS US-BOUND HUMAN-SMUGGLING RING AS MORE THAN HALF OF J’CAN VISITORS VANISH Johnson Smith Former President Donald Trump appears in court for his arraignment, Tuesday, April 4. AP
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